The appeal of the Diablo series has always perplexed me in a way that few other franchises do. The reason for this is that while I think Diablo is very good, it’s not quite great. I feel this way about most dungeon/loot crawlers, including offshoots like Torchlight or even mash-ups like Destiny, but while those games have strong followings, there’s a unique and fervent devotion to Diablo. Indeed, Diablo seems to be uttered in the same breath as Half-Life and Starcraft as one of the greatest PC game franchises ever, and I recently attempted to find out why that is the case.

After much prodding from some friends who are obsessed with it, I decided to give the PS4 version of Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition a shot. The game intrigued me mainly because that Blizzard had taken a storied PC franchise and moved it to consoles in a way that was warmly received. The prospect of playing Diablo on the couch with controller in hand also appealed when compared to hunching over a mouse and keyboard. So, with the game discounted on the Playstation Store I went ahead and picked it up. Right off the bat I was reminded of how good looking and sounding the Diablo series is. You can argue the importance of narratives in games such as this, but the quality of the setting and the game’s overall presentation are key parts of Diablo III’s appeal. The opening cut scene aptly demonstrated Blizzard’s mastery of the form and I was immediately pumped up to enter the fray. I grabbed ahold of the controller and journeyed forth with my newly minted Wizard.

The gameplay of Diablo III, at least the console edition, right away felt different from my previous experiences with the series. I had played a bit of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction when it was released, but only got through about two of the game’s five acts before moving on. I recall liking it just fine, but was simply more interested in console-style action games at the time. Diablo III, on the other hand, played more like a Gauntlet game than Diablo II, allowing me direct movement of my character and generating tactile feedback with every attack. It wasn’t long before I got into the swing of things, slaying monsters, gathering loot, and upgrading my character. The gameplay began to feel almost hypnotic as it wasn’t very difficult and was constantly rewarding. Was this the appeal of Diablo that I had been missing out on all these years?

Admittedly, after getting through the first three acts of the game on Normal I grew weary of the repetitive dungeon crawling and loot grinding. Unfortunately the story did little to improve my enjoyment as it was such boilerplate fantasy nonsense that I stopped paying attention to the goings on. Despite my lessening enjoyment I pressed on and completed the campaign, expecting to put the game away and never pick it up again. But a day later I felt an itch to fire the game back up and play through some bounties on Expert. As I didn’t feel burdened to pay attention to the story I went ahead and put on an old Giant Bombcast and proceeded to wreck some enemies. Almost immediately I grasped what made Diablo so great; it was the epitome of low commitment gaming.

Low commitment gaming is an often underappreciated aspect of gaming, but one that most enthusiasts would agree makes up a good portion of their playing time. It refers to those games that allow you to multitask while playing, be it listening to music or podcasts, watching TV or a movie, or even just having a conversation with someone. The types of games that pair well with this form of play tend to be on the easier side and have minimal or no narratives. Some of my favorite low commitment franchises in the past have included Civilization, Forza, and MLB: The Show. Diablo III continues this trend, and the past weekend had me blowing through my podcast backlog as I marched toward level 70. It almost felt like meditation, with my mind not quite focusing on either task but instead residing in a zen-like middle ground. My brain felt occupied, but at the same time empty. It was an incredibly relaxing experience that made the hours pass by in a blink. As I emerged from my Diablo stupor, it dawned on me that the game got me hooked in a way that I not at all expecting. Like the titular devil himself, the game insinuated itself into my consciousness with me being only dimly aware of what was happening. From this I can finally see the brilliance in Diablo’s game design.

There appears to be a wealth of endgame content that could have me playing Diablo III for the next several months, although likely not with the same intensity I had in the past week or so. It’s a bit of a relief to finally “solve” the appeal of one of gaming’s all-time legendary franchises. For first time players I recommend ignoring the story completely, putting on your preferred distraction, and enjoy the sweet loot drip that the game lovingly doles out. I assure you, there is nothing to miss with regards to the narrative, save for Deckard Cain’s “stay awhile and listen” catchphrase. It may not be for everyone, but the console versions of Diablo III are easily the most accessible that the series has ever been. Those who have written off PC Diablo would be well served to give these versions a shot.

Exactly right. Partly why I enjoyed Destiny and Borderlands, could play away and not need to think about anything, just put on a Quick Look or a Bombcast.

The Division is looking very similar based on playing the beta, so looking forward to that.

Nice blog. I've been trying not to multitask this year 'cause it really started to feel like media & tech overdose. I totally get the appeal of being in that zen like you said but often times, I felt like I was just trying to drown out my own thoughts. Depends what you want out of games I guess. If you want them to be just time killers, that's a perfect way to do it but I find them far more meaningful if I can just engage with one thing at a time.

On the nose post, OP. I've recently hit a lull in my gaming where i'm not really in the mood for anything high impact so i've gotten back into Diablo 3 and have been throwing on episodes of The Wire or Scrubs on my second screen. I think i'm still letting the dust settle in my life following a long few months where my dad got sick and eventually passed away a few weeks ago. Don't really have the attention span for starting new games especially long ones so i just want something simple, familiar, and distracting enough to keep me engaged. Diablo 3 has fit the bill nicely. While i felt like older versions of dungeon/loot crawlers required more attention, diablo 3 (console version especially but PC too) seem to have been streamlined to the point where you can easily multitask while playing them. The console UI especially adds to this feeling with you not having to even fully open the inventory screen to equip better gear and you just have to look for the green arrows in your recent loot ticker and smash that equip button and get back to decimating enemies. That and the difficulty not being especially punishing by default, i agree that it does feel like a arcade dungeon crawler like gauntlet.

I enjoyed the blog, but there is definitely a portion of the community where "low commitment gaming" is not the way I'd describe it. If you want to be in the top 1,000 for the leaderboards, it's a constant grind that you dump hours and hours into, and you can't really stop. I was in the top 1,000 barbarians in The Americas this season for about two weeks, sitting around #360 or so. I decided that I could take a small break for about a week or so, that I wasn't going to get knocked off the ladders that fast. I came back three days later to help a friend, and I had not only been knocked off the leaderboards, but by a wide margin. I started grinding again immediately, then got back to around #540 or so. I then realized that I didn't have the drive to do it, that I was burning myself out on it.

Mind you, I realize that this applies to a very small percentage of the player base, but that part of the player base is also where a lot of people look in order to see what builds are being used, what items are worthwhile, and what classes are strong for a season. For those who aren't playing in seasonal, it's a bit of a different story.

However, I agree that there is an appeal through "low commitment gaming" with quite a few games out there, and Diablo III...in a non-competitive environment with people who don't grind until they don't want to look at a computer screen any more...is absolutely a game that can fit that qualification.

Very nice read, and I look forward to future blogs.

Did your enjoyment of it ever surpass the type of enjoyment you would get from playing a clicker game? Like you I had never really played Diablo properly, but became a little intrigued by the favourable reception Diablo III got on the playstation. My worry was just that the game ultimately amounts to little more than "the numbers keep going up"... But is there more to it than that?

My ultimate low commitment game is Football Manager. I remember laughing at how Dan Ryckert thought the idea of Football Manager was the most boring and ridiculous thing ever, and I know that is how many view the series, but honestly it is one of the most involving series of games you could ever hope to find (who cares if it's just a glorified excel sheet). Otherwise Sim City 2000 fills a very similar need in me!

Anyway good blogging man! It's amazing how you've constantly got interesting material to run with!

@kmfrob: For me the difference between Diablo and "the numbers keep going up" is that what you get to do from the numbers going up is also fun and also playing is fun in that the abilities you use to murder dudes is fun. Gearing a character towards a certain build is fun and different builds excel at different tasks.

@jakob187: I certainly don't want to impugn the reputation of high level Diablo players as I certainly doubt that I have the drive or ability to even sniff the top of the leaderboards. I do apologize if my post came across that way. That said, it is impressive that Diablo can engage players on such a high level (per your experience) and a low level (my experience). For all the apparent simplicity on the surface of these games, I can imagine that there is an extraordinary level of craft to ensure that the gameplay feels just right.

@kmfrob: I do think that Diablo transcends the rote progression of clicker games for the most part, even if it is mostly just to enable a power fantasy with beautiful art. Plus, the multiplayer is a great way to reinvigorate the experience once you get to the endgame. Plus, on higher difficulties the combat starts to require a bit more strategy to manage crowds of enemies.

I can certainly see the appeal of Football Manager as a low commitment game, being that you can make decisions at your leisure and sim the results as needed. I've always admired management sim games, but with the exception of a minor dalliance with Out of The Park Baseball, I've never truly immersed myself in the genre. I fear that once I do it will consume me!

Also, thanks for the feedback! I've been enjoying your work as well, although I skipped your Firewatch post as I want to play that game spoiler free. Keep on writing!

@jesus_phish: Hmmm, I wonder if I'll ever find that point in my life where I'll try it... It seems like the sort of game that I'd love on my Vita... Just something I can tip away at while I listen to podcasts or something. I'm guessing though that the button config and menu layout, having already been simplified for the Playstation, would simply not translate well to a handheld. And also, I guess the Vita simply wouldn't have the grunt required to make it work.

@darth_navster Did you go through the game in multiplayer? Was that something you enjoyed in Destiny? Do you not find real life chatter takes away from your immersion? Though, I suppose for Diablo immersion really isn't the point. What are you thinking about The Division. The thoughts of being able to stealthily solo my way through that game seem awesome, but I'm just afraid that it's going to be balanced in such a way that makes that pretty much impossible...

Also, it will be interesting to hear your thoughts on Firewatch once you've played it. I haven't tested iut since the new patch went live, but honestly give it a wide birth on the PS4... it's a mess (and I REALLY don't care about technical issues generally). You play pretty much mainly on PC anyway, don't you?

@kmfrob: I've dabbled a bit in Diablo multiplayer, but haven't done a crazy amount yet. Still need to hit the level cap before matching up with friends! You're right that the immersion is taken away, but the bits of teamwork and simply the fun of seeing a whole bunch of spells and abilities go off simultaneously more than makes up for it. I thought Destiny was alright for what it was, but at the time I was expecting Bungie to put out something closer to Halo (I'm a big fan, can you guess?) and that gap between expectation and reality put me off. The Division is looking good, and I'll likely check it out at some point, but unfortunately it's come at a time when I've resolved to trim down my backlog so it will have to wait. It does look very team oriented so I definitely get your reservations about soloing it.

Yeah, I'll likely go PC with Firewatch. It seems very Gone Home-like, which was a great bonding experience between my wife and I. I'm just waiting until she gets in the mood to play a game again and we'll go through it together.

I've had the same experience with Diablo 3 as a few people here: the grind is very real. I got to a place with my wizard where I could clear Inferno 3 or 4, and then I dropped off for a few weeks and realized a whole bunch of changes happened that would require me to fix my build, and I just didn't have the patience to play the game to find the items I needed AND read about what items were going to work for me. It was just too much. So while I appreciate that I can listen to podcasts while playing D3, it's definitely not low commitment.

This is one of those odd games where I almost prefer leveling characters than I do playing the endgame stuff. That's probably because the increases in power are so marked during the leveling phase, whereas endgame gains are usually a bit more incremental as you climb the power ranks. I like seeing numbers go up big, but even so, I still dip back into it from time to time.

For me the Season system they have been running on PC has been fantastic and what is keeping D3 installed on my machine. It's perfect for someone like me where every few months I can get back into the game for a week or two, start a fresh character get to T10+ and have a completely new experience every time. Since they change things and add features and item sets and combos every season, going for a different class each time really keeps it fresh and diverse. Last season i had a blast playing witchdoctor again, this season a thorns crusader that just runs around and doesn't attack anything yet everything still dies. It's my go to podcast game.

@rorie: Oh wow, two Rorie replies in one day! You probably get this a lot, but Properly Petting Puppies never fails to brighten up my day.

After messing around with the endgame content I can certainly see where you're coming from with regards to the slow down in power increases. It's really not as satisfying as that ramp up to 70. I can definitely see myself coming back to the game in a few months to play through with another class just to experience the leveling curve all over again.

Good read tc. D3 has improved significantly w/every update since its release. The game is in a great place right now especially. I find the endgame(adventure mode and GR grinding)fun because of all the build possibilities and new gear that keep the game fresh and interesting while providing plenty of depth and complexity if you care to go there or get competitive.

I've played a ton on both pc and console, but lately I'm loving playing on my xbox one. So easy and simple to grind and look for loot and resources all while listening to podcasts, watching a ballgame or race, or having a good streamer on while playing. The hunt for loot and especially the progression process, however slow, is super addictive. That and reading and learning about the evolving and/or new builds and their variants via new gear, present in the past and especially the latest update(2.4), keeps me playing. It is a great game, and it's constant evolution over the past 3+ years has been fascinating and super engaging for me. I actually don't play very much multiplayer on console lately because of issues w/modding and the old para glitch(which is supposedly fixed), but the synergy between the classes can make for a ton of fun, and xp and loot are better too. Worth trying, especially on pc.

Can't...stop...playing. :-)

Re: Low commitment gaming: You're absolutely right and I think that this is a problem that a game like Path of Exile had in terms of what it needed to appeal to a broad audience. It required you to engage on a deep level with its mechanics to really appreciate what it brought to the table, and let's be honest, engaging deeply is not really something that these games are best for. You think that Diablo's story is boilerplate? Try any other ARPG, it's 5 times better than what you'll get there. The other part of low commitment gaming, though, is the ability to quit at any time when you start losing interest. Diablo 3 flirted with going too long between travel points during some acts. Path of Exile is awful for it, requiring sometimes 30 minutes or mroe between checkpoints. Marvel Heroes, while being deficient in several ways, is great from a low commitment standpoint. Almost any individual goal can be completed in 15 minutes.

Re: Diablo endgame, the endgame has a really weird arc to it. Like, you get to level cap, then basically you're stuck fumbling around in master/Torment I until you luck into set of gear that has some kind of synergy with your character abilities. Then there's a great phase in like the T2-T4 range where you're cutting through bad guys quick enough that the legendaries come fast and furious and you can start working on an actual build, then by the time you're doing T7-T8, you're mostly looking at either pie in the sky builds or optimizing gear stats, which is a slow and again, unrewarding process.

@veektarius: Did you perhaps mean the other game under a PoE acronym? Path of Exile.

@tennmuerti: Good call. I'll fix that.

I feel like the entire MMO genre as we know it has been built off Diablo 2: collect randomized loot, try to get rare loot, level up, use a skill tree to customize, try to collect item sets, craft a few items but don't expect to craft the best items.

So the end result I think is that Diablo 3 comes off as a sort of MMO-lite, subtracting the raids and pvp and giant cities but maintaining the gear and progression mechanics.